


"The Inside Man" Drabbles

by Aceofstars16



Series: SWR Season 3 Drabbles [9]
Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 07:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8880604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aceofstars16/pseuds/Aceofstars16
Summary: I was planning to write more drabbles for this episode but then I just never got around to it? I'm hoping one day I might write at least one more (hence why I didn't just title this fic "Numbered Days") but for now I only have one.EDIT! I added another, very short drabble!Spoiler Alert for "The Inside Man"





	

**Author's Note:**

> ["Numbered Days"](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/154060260838/numbered-days)   
>  ["A Moment's Respite"](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/156011723448/how-about-ezra-and-c)

**"Numbered Days"**

This drabble focuses on Kallus and kind of a headcanon of how he changed his mind and became Fulcrum. 

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Kallus almost wished he could go back in time and change his own mind. Things had been so much simpler back then, when he hadn’t questioned the Empire’s motives, when he obeyed without thinking. Though, that wasn’t entirely true, he had thought about it, a little. But he had always turned a blind eye. Until he had gotten stuck on that moon with Garazeb. One instance shouldn’t have changed his mind so much, and he supposed it didn’t. Not right away. But it ignited a spark. It opened his eyes to what the Empire was really doing, and that he wasn’t valued. He was only viewed for what he could do. Friends were overrated in the Empire. It was every man for himself, a motto Kallus didn’t mind. Until he realized how much Garazeb’s friends cared about him, and how little Kallus’ acquaintances cared about him. Even those he had known for years. The rebels had friends, but with the Empire everyone was on their own. Alone.

The unfriendliness of the Empire had pushed him to check into what was really going on, what they were really doing. And that’s when he found out how bad it really was. He had known it wasn’t perfect, but it was far worse than he had imagined. So much so that turning a blind eye seemed wrong, downright evil. To sit around and do nothing while millions suffered was inhumane and Kallus’ conscience screamed against it, even while his brain tried to rationalize it. It was the first time he fully understood why the rebels did what they did. But unlike before, he sympathized with them. Some days he almost rooted for them. But he still did his job, because he had to. If he didn’t, if even a shred of his doubt shone through, he would be disposed of. He knew the system well enough to understand that.

So he tried to go on, to keep living like he always had. But each time he saw the Empire’s cruel grasp on the innocent, every time he learned new disastrous information, the weight on him grew. Until he couldn’t take it anymore.

Finding out how the Rebels communicated had been a challenge – especially without alerting any other imperials to what he was doing – but he managed. He made sure any channels he used wouldn’t be traced, though it was much harder than he thought it would be. But with enough digging he found an old program that had been used by the Rebels before. And of course, he knew of their mysterious benefactor Fulcrum. Who he also knew to be Ahsoka Tano, an informant who he could only assume had died. For she hadn’t used the communications in months. However, finding a way to communicate and gaining trust was not the same. It took months for Kallus to finally get the information he needed, passphrases and codes. The same that other Fulcrum informants used.

And then he was finally able to ease the gnawing at his mind. He was finally able to give the rebels information. Information that the Empire would only use against those they claimed to protect. Because from the start, all Kallus wanted to do was protect those less fortunate. He wanted to help, to be a loyal servant and soldier. That’s how most recruits started off. And as they trained the Empire slowly molded them into machines that didn’t question what they did, because the Empire could never be wrong. But now Kallus knew better. He had broken away from their mold with the help of Garazeb. And now he was helping the rebels. Because they were protecting others, helping others. They were the real heroes of the galaxy. And even if Kallus couldn’t be a full hero – for he had already hurt so many – he could still be of some help.

It was a freeing feeling, to be helping, to know he was doing some good. But he still had to keep up his façade, to act the agent he had been for so long. The agent that now rubbed him wrong every time he put on the mask, a mask he could almost never take off. It was exhausting. But every time he heard of the rebels winning a battle, he got a second wind and kept pushing forward. Because he had to. Because if he didn’t, his life would only be what it was before. He would merely be a mindless pawn in a cruel game laid out across the galaxy.

And then for the first time since his change of heart, he had run into a rebel. And not just a rebel, but one from the Ghost crew – Sabine Wren. He hadn’t expected her to trust him. She didn’t know what he had been doing. She was not aware of his change of heart. But she had listened to him. And she had escaped. He wondered if she had passed on his message to Garazeb. That he was atoning for his mistakes, they were even now – or that he was at least he was on his way to becoming even. But he had no way of knowing, because he couldn’t leave. And despite the stress and the danger, he didn’t want to leave. Because here he could do good, here he could help the rebels far more than he could by being in their ranks.

At least that’s how it had been. Helping Kanan and Ezra escape had been dangerous. More so than a normal. Because Thrawn had been there, and the admiral was not to be underestimated. But Kallus had to help. And he had. Even if it had resulted in a few bruises to make it look believable. At least he thought it looked believable, it felt believable. But Thrawn was still onto him. Somehow he knew there was a spy. Kallus knew his days were numbered. His only goal now was to do all he could for the rebels and then leave, or if need be, end it before he could be used against them. He had been willing to die for the Empire, and now he would be more than willing to die for the Rebellion.

 

* * *

 

 

**"A Moment's Respite"**

A request from a tumblr ask, this short drabble focuses on Ezra having a quiet moment to himself after the events of the episode.

 

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Two moons shone in the sky, the same moons Ezra had grown up his whole life looking at. Wind whipped through the tall Lothal grass as he walked, letting his feet wander. He knew he shouldn’t stray far from the Rebel camp- the Empire would be on the lookout for anything suspicious after the infiltration of their factory – but he needed to see what had become of his planet. Not the cities. They had changed, though he still knew the layout of the streets. Not even the Empire could change those. No, he needed to see the wilds, the grasslands, the hills, and…His feet stopped in place as he saw the tower rising above him. The place that had been his home for years. It was where he had learned to pick locks and fend for himself. It was a lonely place, but as he climbed the stairs, he felt a sense of calm wash over him.

As his eyes took in the room, Ezra remembered all of the lonely days he spent here, going to bed hungry, wishing he would find the haul of a lifetime so he would never have to worry about food again. Every day he had wondered if that was all his life would amount to – survival and hoping for the impossible. But now things had changed. Granted, survival was still very much a part of his life, but there was so much more to it now. He wasn’t alone anymore, he had a family, friends, people he cared about, who cared about him too. And he had a purpose. He was helping others now, he was making a difference, slowly making this galaxy a better place.

A smile grew on Ezra’s face as these thoughts crossed his mind. Then he walked outside, to the balcony, where he had always gone to think. Capital City’s lights shone on the horizon, a beautiful display of light and dark, one that continually changed. Ezra shifted his gaze to the sky, another vastly beautiful sight. And one that hadn’t changed. Closing his eyes, Ezra focused on the Force and how it flowed throughout the planet. It wasn’t at peace. The Empire’s presence disrupted it, but it was still strong. And Ezra was sure that once the Empire was gone, peace would come to Lothal once again. It may not ever be the same, but it would still be Lothal, and it would be stronger for the trials it went through.

 _Just like me,_ Ezra thought, and a small smile grew on his face. Yes, he had faced a lot, and he still had more to face. There would be days when he would want to give up, when he would hurt and cry and wish it all away. But in the end he would be stronger, in the end it would be worth it.


End file.
